A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a portable planter in which plants that require different soil and watering conditions can be grown in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement.
B. Description of the Related Art
As used herein, a "planter" is a decorative pot, box or other container in which plants are grown for ornamental purposes. Conventional planters can be used for growing diverse types of plants; however, some combinations of plants do not fair well when grown together in individual conventional planters. Reasons for this include the plants' different needs, such as soil types (e.g., drainage and moisture-holding characteristics), watering schedules, etc.
For example, cactus, ivy and ferns heretofore have been only grown successfully in separate planters. The cactus require sandy soil with infrequent watering, while the ferns thrive in rich potting soil with abundant watering. Those plants are simply not sufficiently compatible to grow in the same plant bed. Arrangements of such plants have best been achieved by clustering separate planters, and, optionally, filling the space between the planters with peat moss, stone or other such coarse material.
Unfortunately, the use of multiple planters in that approach limits the aesthetic arrangement of the plants, and leaves the resulting assembly not easily portable. Portability is often important because plant arrangements often need to be moved, e.g., to areas that receive more or less direct sunshine.
Moreover, portability is important to allow a planter to be a convenient article of commerce, e.g., to permit a customer to "pick-up" a planter containing professionally arranged greenery or live floral arrangements, e.g., at a retail store, garden center or flower shop, and transport it without requiring assistance. Also, portable planters are typically more compact, and that can be particularly advantageous for planters intended for use in apartments or wherever space is at a premium.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a portable planter that would allow a mix of plants, which have differing soil and watering needs, to be grown together in a decorative container. While achieving these objectives, however, any solution should not compromise or limit the aesthetic values of the plant arrangement. In fact, it would be desirable to provide such a planter that extends, rather than limits, the spectrum of possible plant arrangements.